Chasing Hermione
by CallMeAlyKat
Summary: Admittedly, Draco found her interesting, it was as if she was a mystery just waiting to be solved. She confounded him. She was a paradox. But there was no way in hell that he fancied her. DracoxHermione. DMHG. DHr. Non-cannon. The war was concluded during their fifth year. Disregard 6th and 7th years. Just another Veela fic. Love. Humor. Drama. Fluff. Rated T for language. R and R!
1. Chapter One: Deadpanned Revelations

**a/n:  
Hi guys! I'm so glad that you took your time to stop by and read this little mainstream veela fic ❤️ Thank you. I hope you enjoy it!**

**Disclaimer: As far as I'm concerned, Miss Rowling owns everything from Hermione's non-existent hairbrush to Draco's smexy underpants**.

Chapter One: Deadpanned Revelations

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"You're a veela, Draco." Lucius deadpanned, sipping his tea coolly as if he hadn't just released a potent bit of shocking information. Draco's eyes went wide as saucers as he gaped at his father comically like a fish out of water. "Close that mouth of yours, looking like a fish is unseemly."

"Are you- are you saying that I'm some kind of - of _creature_?" Draco spat out, aghast. All his life he had prided himself over the fact that his blood was pure, but here his father was reputing just that.

"Don't act so abhorred, dear." Narcissa chided gently, chuckling as observed her husband and child. "Being a veela isn't that bad."

"Being a Veela isn't that bad?!" Draco raised his voice, glaring incredulously at his mother.

"Don't talk to your mother like that." Lucius snapped. "Manners, Draco. We taught you as much."

"How could you expect me to keep my fucking-"

"Language!"

"-manners when you just dropped the you're-not-entirely-human-therefore-not-a-pureblood bomb on me? How could you expect me to think that being a stupid oversized bird is a _good_ thing?" Draco snarled, giving both his parents looks of accusation.

"Oh please, stop over reacting and let us explain first." Lucius said, rolling his eyes and huffing. Was he really this difficult as a child? He thought not. "First things first. You will not turn into a bird. Your blood is not strong enough. You're only half veela. A quarter from me and a quarter from your mother. You will merely grow wings."

"What? Like bloody chicken wings?"

"No, you idiotic brat." Lucius sighed, glaring at the child that he had sired. Dealing with enraged teenage Malfoys could really tire an old man. "Stop interrupting me and let me explain. Wings, not like the chicken sort, but the angel sort. They won't be visible unless you will them to be so, or unless you're angry. Also, you'll be sporting fangs, which wou-"

"Fangs? What's next? I'll bloody sparkle? I thought I was Veela, not some stupid _Vampire_."

"One more interruption and I will not hesitate to cast a silencing charm on you." Lucius threatened, releasing an exasperated sigh. "Cissa, where was I?"

"You were on the fangs part, dear." Narcissa chuckled, reaching out to put her hand over her husband's. She always loved seeing father and son interact. They were downright hilarious.

Funny interactions like this didn't happen often enough for her. They stopped all together during the war, but right now, her family was healing. This light discussion, although heavy topic, reminded her of days before the Dark Lord rose again. Times when they had functioned like a family. A strange family, but a family, nonetheless. Seeing them like this made her happy, really really happy.

Draco needs to be reminded that we can be a family, albeit the past circumstances. She thought, dampening her happy mood slightly. Lucius sensed this and he glanced at Narcissa, squeezing her hand gently.

"Right. The fangs. You'll have fangs, Draco, but they won't show up unless your mate is threatened or you are incredibly upset." He placed a hand up, silencing Draco who was just about to interrupt again. "Don't ask what a mate is yet. I'll get to that part shortly. As I was saying, your fangs aren't just for scaring threats away - they contain venom that is poisonous to everyone who is not your mate."

"Explain about the mates thing already! I'm dying of curiosity here!" Draco said indignantly, but curiosity was evident in his stormy gray eyes.

"Silencio."

"Lucius, did you really have to?" She glanced at her son who was slowly turning into a light shade of pink. Narcissa pretended to glare at her husband, trying to hide the laughter behind her words.

"He interrupted." Lucius shrugged. "You will also have heightened hearing, sight, sense of smell, increased strength, speed, the works. Your looks will also improve and you will have the ability to control your pheromones and get the gist of human traits will aid you in looking for and protecting your mate. Now, about your mate. You are one of the lucky creatures who will have the luxury of having someone that was created to be your perfect pair. This person will be your soulmate -your other half and all those other sickly sweet descriptions. She or he -" At this, Draco's eyes got even bigger, terror flooding those mercurial depths "-will be the only person that can satisfy you and you will have a deep need to protect her and make her happy, no matter what the cost. Just like me and your mother."

Draco made gagging gestures.

Lucius rolled his eyes and smiled at Narcissa. "In some ways, being a Veela can be one of the best things that can happen to you. Believe me son, you will be mushier than I am now when you meet her. So, any questions?"

Draco glared at his father and pointed at his throat.

"Right." Lucius smirked as he murmured the counter spell.

"Did you really have to do that?" Draco asked, rubbing his throat.

"You were being difficult." Lucius said calmly, matching his son's intense glare.

"Boys," Narcissa warned, biting into a cookie and giving the men glares that could freeze hell over.

"Okay, first question. What's the catch?" Draco eyed his parents suspiciously. "An upgrade in looks and braun - not that I need them - and almost superhuman tendencies bound to come with a string attached."

"Well, dear," Narcissa started, turning worried eyes towards Lucius. "There is one thing."

"Which is?"

"Your mate..." Narcissa started, "will be the most important person in your life, and when I say that he or she would be the center of your universe, I'm not kidding. Without her you'll die. And if you haven't finished marking her by your 17th birthday or if she rejects you, then you'd die from heart break. Literally. Through your hearts, your soul is tethered to hers, and if she doesn't accept you, your connection would be cut. This connection is the only thing that binds you to the earth. Once it's gone, your heart would shatter from the loss and you'd die a very err uncomfortable death."

Draco looked shocked, and after a few moments, he managed to compose himself. He said, "So let me get this straight. I'd get wings, fangs, powers, and a soulmate, but I have to find her and make her agree before I turn seventeen or else I'll die?"

"That basically sums it up, more or less."

"What the actual _fuck_."

"Language." Narcissa chided.

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"We weren't sure that the gene would be dominant in you, and when we finally noticed, it was too late. It would have been dangerous for you to bring someone in the mix especially with the war looming before us. We noticed the changes the summer after your third year, but by then, the Dark Lord was already having his plans. It was too dangerous for you to go through the change with him keeping such a vigilant eye." Narcissa said, her eyes pleading Him to understand.

"We've managed to repress the Change with Severus's help. It has been happening at a much slower rate than normal, but there always were the telling signs." Lucius added.

"Such as?" Draco asked, still trying to digest the information.

"You have always been goodlooking, Draco dear," Narcissa smiled fondly up at her son. "But your looks have rocketed since your fourth year. Your heightened strength and senses are still not evident, but they're exceptional compared to any other teenage wizard. But the most obvious sign is your hair. It has been growing at an abnormally fast rate, now more so since we've stopped administering you the potion that repressed the Change."

"Stopped administering? Are you saying that you put potions in my food?"

"Yes. Once a month, we placed them in the sweets we sent you, it was to slow down the Change. We've stopped giving them to you after things settled down."

"When?" Draco insisted, his eyes searching his parents for anymore secrets. His brain was already buzzing with all the information, but he had to know more.

"About a week ago."

"Why didn't you do this sooner? You know, so that I'd have more of a chance to find this so called mate and _live_?" Draco questioned, a pale eyebrow raised, still angry over the fact that they didn't tell him sooner.

"We already told you why. Try to listen why don't you?" Lucius glared. As much as he loved his son, the little kid could be downright annoying sometimes. "We wanted things to settle down first. The war shook everyone up, Draco. Your fifth year was a mess. You think we didn't notice, but we know how much it affected you. We wanted you to get back up on your feet before giving you the news.

Draco rolled his eyes, but he nodded to his parents' explanation. As twisted as not telling him was, he could see the point of their delay. "This Change... What happens after?"

"All the so-called upgrades will manifest." Lucius answered. "Your body will undergo changes to adapt to the veela blood that would become dominant. It would be a painful process, and it could happen anytime between now and at the latest, a week after the Entrance Feast. We've asked Dumbledore and Severus to keep an eye on you."

"What about my mate? How do I find her? How will I be sure that it's her?"

"You wouldn't have changed if you hadn't come in physical contact with her, Dear." Narcissa said. "We're pretty sure that she's attending Hogwarts too. You could look for your mate by using her scent. Intuition also takes up a good part in the hunt. Trust me, Draco. When you find her, you'll know. You'll feel the connection of your souls. Although if you want to be a hundred percent sure, all you have to do is kiss her."

"What if she's anything like _Granger_? You know, feisty, brunette, hair all over the place, too intelligent for her own good, has that whole I-rescue-wounded-birds-and-woodland-creatures-in-my-spare-time vibe going on, Gryffindork who has been plaguing me with her annoyingness since day one? I'm good as dead if that happens."

Narcissa smiled at the very descriptive choice of words that her son used. He really fancied the pants off this girl, didn't he? It was obvious from first year that her son had taken an interest in the muggle-born. He was always talking about her, finding out ways to insert her in conversations, even going as far as stalking her in Diagon Alley once. He said that he wanted to find a specific book, but Narcissa was pretty sure that Madame Malkin's didn't sell any particular type of book. She'd raised an idiot if he thought that he could fool his mother.

At first, Narcissa was terrified that the muggleborn would complicate things for them, especially with their involvement with the dark Lord and their family's strict adherence to old traditions. She thought that it was just a trifle fancy, and that Draco would eventually move on to conquests who were more appropriate for him. But he never did. After all these years, his son was still very much smitten over a certain muggleborn.

Miss Granger could very much be the mate that he was looking for.

Narcissa had already talked this possibility over with Lucius, their suspicions only fueled when they had err interrogated nicely one of Draco's school chums, Blaise, about Draco's behavior towards the brunette. After a while, Lucius had come to accept that the Granger girl was the most likely girl destined to be Draco's mate. He still held a few reservations though - old beliefs die harder than old habits.

"We are aware of Miss Granger and her uhh _aversion_ towards you. If that is indeed the case, then we would have no choice but to bend the Malfoy code and accept her. I'd rather taint our line than end it."

"I wasn't referring to her blood, I was referring to the girls that hate me. I know I'm one fine specimen, but not everyone at that school can be baited by good looks. Well, a small percentage can't. Or maybe just Granger. The point is, what if she doesn't like me?"

"Then you make her like you. It's either that, or die." Lucius said bluntly.

"Aren't there other ways? A loophole of some sort?" Draco asked, desperation evident in his voice. "Come on! I'm young, I'm _gorgeous_. The last thing I want is to be shackled to some annoying, nagging woman for the rest of my life. I haven't even considered anything like that, at least, not until I'm _forty_ or something. There has to be another way."

"There is no loophole, son. It's either you find her and be with her or you die."

"As I've said. It's not as bad as you say it is. You'd get a person that would love you and you'd get to love a person who is right for you in every way. You don't know how many people are looking for the kind of love that fate gave you."

Draco grumbled, still adverse to the idea. No girl was even up to his standards. Surely, faith must know that. Only Granger was close to him in the intelligence department, although she was a mile away in the looks department. If only she'd try to tame her curls and were more fitting clothing, then he was sure that boys would flock to her like sharks to fresh meat. He frowned at the thought. Who was he kidding? No one would want Granger, even with fitted clothing. Especially with that hair. Although, he kinda didn't hate her hair. It was wild and -

Was he just rambling about Granger's hair? This day must have stressed him out so much that he was thinking about Granger's hair. Stupid Veela gene. Stupid parents for hiding it from him.

"I need to think this over." Draco muttered as he got up suddenly.

"We understand." Narcissa smiled gently. No matter what happened over the passed year, Draco was still a boy. If he needed time to process the weight of the situation, then they would let him.

"We'll send books to your room. You should read them, I'm sure that it would answer the questions that you have left."

Draco nodded his thanks and walked briskly out of the room. He needed to get out of the Manor. Everything was suffocating him right now. Every bit of the information that his parents gave him was too much. He didn't know how to wrap his head around the concepts. Actually, he did, but he was in denial right now so his brain was not working properly.

His feet led them to the fireplace, stepping inside, he wasn't entirely sure about which house he should go to, so he decided to wing it and spoke out loud, saying, "Zabini Lakehouse".

He wasn't sure if his best friend was here at this particular house, but this was his favorite 'safe place' from his mother. Mrs. Zabini always claimed that she hated 'being near such a massive amount of water'. Lucky for her that she hadn't attended Hogwarts, or she would have been pissing in her underpants everyday since the great lake was almost as large as the one near this Zabini residence.

"Master Draco," Blaise's personal house elf squeaked in surprise.

"Libby." He said fondly, ruffling the elf's thin hair. If Libby was here, then Blaise would definitely be here. The Italian never went anywhere without the elf. "Where's Blaise?"

"Master is with Master Theo, Master Draco." The elf said brightly, getting over her surprise. "He has just sent Libby to get you. They are having brunch in the fourth dining hall."

"Thanks, Libby." Draco said, and the elf bowed low. He made his way towards the east wing of the house, he was still slightly disoriented from the information overload that he had experienced minutes before, but his brain was catching up slowly.

First and foremost, if he had a little less than a year to find and woo this mystery woman, then he had to have a game plan.

And there was no one better at all these romance stuff - aside from him, of course - than Blaise Zabini and Theodore Nott. They could help. This Veela thing would either drive him insane, or push him into his own grave. He just hoped that whoever his mate was, she would be ready for him, because honestly? He wasn't ready to die yet. He was too good looking to do so.

With a flourish, he opened the french doors of the dining room, striding in, he announced, "We need to talk".

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**a/n: Soooooo, what do you guys think? hope you enjoyed reading this! I might post the second chappie tomorrow or on the next day :) review please! I would really appreciate it and it would help me with writing the flow of the story! :)**

**xoxo alykat**


	2. Chapter 2: I Do Not Fancy Granger

**a/n: Hi guys! Fast update, I know, I've had itchy fingers haha :) read and enjoy! :)**

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**Chapter Two: I don't fancy Granger**

With a flourish, Draco opened the french doors of the dining room, striding in, he announced, "We need to talk."

"Do you always have to be such a drama queen?" Blaise rolled his eyes, going back to the game of exploding snap that he and Theo were playing. "You could have at least _tried_ to knock, you could have caused them to blow!"

"What he said." Theo said, placing another card into their already towering castle.

"That was not dramatic." Draco huffed, "I was just in a hurry. I need your help with something."

"You need _our_ help with something?" Theo said, raising an eyebrow. The Slytherin prince rarely needed help, let alone _asked_ for it.

"Why am I not surprised? You only ever come barging in here when you need something." Blaise drawled, obviously not sharing Theo's surprise. He had known Draco since they were babies, and he was used to his behavioral patterns. Theo only became close to the two at the end of their second year, just after Draco started the pretense of his cold treatment towards everyone.

"I do not." Draco protested, pacing around the venetian rug. He was anxious to tell the two. If he ever was going to find his mate, he needed back up, and as unrespectful and mildly irritating these two Slytherins were, they were dependable and he trusted them enough to seek their help. "Can you please just shift your attention to the handsome blonde who needs your help _now_?"

Blaise stood back, staring at their humungous card house before smirking and flicking the whole structure back, which proceeded to explode as it fell towards Theo.

"Bastard!" Theo spat as he glared at Blaise with singed eyebrows.

"You," Blaise guffawed, "Look like a fucking _monkey_. Draco, look at his face, we should do this to Crabbe and Goyle when we get back!"

"Why you little," Theo growled before proceeding to tackle Blaise.

The boys exchanged blows for about five minuted before Draco's already worn out patience snapped.

"In case you haven't heard, the veela here needs your help!" Draco shouted, glaring at the two. Immediately, they stopped and gaped at him, both their eyes wide.

"Veela?" They both said simultaneously, looking thoroughly surprised.

This must be how I looked at father, Draco mused darkly. "Now, if you two would stop acting like barbaric muggles, then I would tell you exactly why I came here. Sit down and let me talk why don't you."

After repairing Theo's singed eyebrows and a lengthy discussion between the three of them, where as Draco gave them the fine details of his... _Predicament_ and got them up to speed, he said, "Any questions?"

"Seriously dude? Last time I checked, you never exactly took of like a freaking bird when you were angry." Theo said once they were all settled down, munching on the food that Libby had brought them moments ago.

"Yeah. We're your bloody best friends, mate." Blaise said, confused. "Surely we would have noticed something off about you. So far, you've been positively human."

"Save for that ferret incident in fourth year," Theo snickered.

"Yeah! I remember! That was downright hilarious!" Blaise grinned. "Bouncy, bouncy bouncy."

"How about the super senses? Are those real?" Theo asked, wide eyed. "If they are then we would pretty much bag the Quidditch cup this year!"

"That is if he survives it till the end of the year." Blaise snickered.

"If you two would stop being gits, I'd answer your questions." Draco said, raising an eyebrow. He waited for their sniggering to stop before continuing. "I didn't know until about an hour ago, actually."

"What about the mate thing? Do you have any clue on who she is yet?"

"Seems pretty obvious to me," Blaise said nonchalantly, picking up a handful of chips. "Drake's been pretty obsessed with the same girl since we started school."

Before Draco could come up with a scathing remark, Theo piped up and said, "Yeah. He's been kissing the ground she walks on for so long, it would be a wonder if she didn't turn out to be his mate."

"What are you two talk-"

Blaise nodded, smirking as he said, cutting Draco off, "He would finally have a reason to conjure a pair of balls big enough to have courage to ask her out. Pity that it took a threat to his life for him to at least consider moving from stalker to actual suitor."

"Stop talking like I'm not here." Draco snapped, frowning at the two. "Again, I don't even know who you're -"

"She even brought out the masochist in him during third year. Who knew the key to Draco Malfoy's heart was a mean right hook."

"He followed her like a lost puppy after that little incident." Blaise chuckled. "It's their first contact, right? Possibly why this so called change kick-started during third year."

"I can't wait to see her little boyfriend's reaction when he learns about what you're about to do."

"Wait what? Granger doesn't have a boyfriend!" Draco protested irritably before he could stop himself.

"And that there mate, is the answer to your own question." Blaise said and he and Theo promptly proceeded to laugh like hyenas.

"You know what I love about you mate," Theo said between fits of laughter, "Is that you're so so so pussy-whipped but you don't even realize it!"

"You go on following her around and looking for ways to make her like you, yet you don't even notice how much you like her!" Blaise chuckled.

Draco feigned an innocent look, saying, "Again for the nth time, I don't know shit about anything that you're talking about!"

"Come on Draco, don't hide it from us," Blaise smirked. "You've fancied your balls off Granger since first year. What kind of mates could we have been if we hadn't noticed?"

"Yeah. Mate, you had us write down every single thing that she liked, she hated and she loved. If that obsession of yours isn't a huge indicator that she's your mate, then I don't know what is."

"I don't fancy Granger!"

They gave Draco skeptical looks.

"I don't!" Draco insisted. "I don't. All the following around and stalking is just to make sure that she isn't plotting anything against us! Making you list down all of those little things about her was just another self preservation tactic. Know thine enemy, remember? It's not as if she's the first person that I look for in a crowded room. She's not the reason why I took an interest in taking the medicine N.E.W.T. Track. I don't fancy muggle Granger! I don't fancy her!"

Draco glared at his two best friends. Idiots as they were, they were on to something. He was attracted to Granger. Only idiotic buffoons (i.e. Potter and all the other boys who hadn't noticed her yet) wouldn't fall prey to those caramel eyes and intelligence. Admittedly, he found her interesting, as if she was a mystery just waiting to be solved. She confounded him. She was a paradox.

But there was no way in hell that he fancied her.

"Someone's in denial."

"Yeah, all that defensive-ness just proves our point, Drakie-poo." Blaise laughed, tossing the blonde a cracker.

"Don't call me that, it reminds me of Pansy." Draco said, shuddering. Pansy was like a sister to him, but there was a time that they had tried out dating (as per Draco's parents' request). Let's just say that his second year wasn't the best of years. When you were 12 and still anti-girls, it was kind of traumatizing to have one follow you around wherever you go. "Back to the more pressing issue. If, and only if Granger turns out to be my mate, then I might as well be choosing the flowers for my own funeral service right now, because there is no way in hell that she would even agree to let me touch her, much less mark her."

"She's a saint, Drake." Theo said, smiling sympathetically at his friend. "She probably won't let you die, no matter how much of a dick you have been to her."

Draco smirked at this. While it was true that he had made her life miserable for the past few years, it was also uncontested that Granger wouldn't have the heart to reject him. She wouldn't let anyone die, she was too good to do that. He may have hope.

Draco did not fancy Granger, in fact, he hated her. He hated how she bested him in everything that he did, he hated that he did like the idea of her being his mate. Let's face it, out of all the females in their year and the years above and below them, Granger was by far the best when it came to intelligence and looks.

"Drake, what are you thinking about?" Theo asked nervously, he never liked it when the youngest Malfoy got all broody. It usually meant that he or Blaise was about to get embarrassed. Or subject into slavery.

"Yeah, Draco, we know that look." Blaise said evenly, glancing at Theo and backing away. "We hate it when you get that look."

"What look?" Draco smiled evilly. Those two were going to pay for all the insults. "I don't fancy Granger. But I admit that she is a likely candidate; our first physical contact was during third year, and I admit that I've been rather err gravitating towards her ever since."

"Finally! Some sense into that big brain of yours." Blaise laughed, but shut up instantly when he saw the evil smirk that decorated Draco's face.

"But first, I have to make sure if it really is her." Draco smirked. "And you two are going to help me."

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**A/n: there you go! Stay posted for the next chappie! :)**


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